Portside Sides With Conyers To Refuse Impeachment

I love the Portside distribution of information from the left perspective, but frankly, I'm now tired of receiving Portside's tidbits defending Conyers in his indefensible refusal to pursue impeachment. Portside moderators obviously have now taken sides in favor of Conyers and against impeachment of Bush. It shows in the number of postings that continue every tired straw man argument to defend Conyers. Today I received three of these pro-Conyers defense pieces and none pro-impeachment.

This is sad because what is says is that Conyers is being protected against criticism at all costs. It is a shame that in the name of a false unity on the left, where we are being told not to criticise Conyers, that Bush is being allowed a free pass for trampling the Constitution in what ranks among most corrupt presidential administrations in the history of the USA.

Arguments about Conyers' past record have nothing to do with the merits of the question of impeachment and neither does racism. If anything, blacks are more supportive of impeachment than whites, so there can be no credible argument that Conyers is speaking for blacks and whites just don't get it. Sorry, but the criticism of Conyers refusal to impeach has nothing to do with racism, and every time racism is raised as a defense of Conyers it is just plain offensive.

If someone wants to defend Conyers, there is only one way to do that, defend his refusal to impeach the president. Since Conyers himself has not been able provide a palpably real reason for his refusal, maybe one of his supports can. But to date, we only get a bogus charge of racism. Not one of Conyers' supporters, who are thus also protecting the president from impeachment, has presented a non-hypocritical defense on the merits. The only conclusion one can draw is that the racism charge is being used as a wedge to distract and divide the anti-war movement from considering impeachment.

Who is behind this? Certainly not the rank and file of the Democratic Party. Conyers has pushed many odds-against causes such as reparations, for no better reason than it is the right thing to do, when the Democratic Party leadership knew he would get no support and the bills were parliamentarily hopeless. So why is such hopelessness of success now Conyers' only defense? Because now the Democratic leadership see impeachment is actually not hopeless but is at a tipping point in credibility and support. If the Democratic leadership allowed Conyers to push for impeachment as much as he pushes for reparations, then the tipping point would be reached because the leadership would be tipping in favor. Sadly, the white corporate Democratic leadership has ordered Conyers not to allow impeachment, and he is following orders. Why aren't Coyers' supporters and Portside outraged at that racism?